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In the modern world there are many ways that you can learn about photography and really master the craft of this amazing art form. You can explore the methods and techniques of photography using online courses, local workshops and on blogs and websites. However, there is something timeless about having a physical book in your hand that you can study and work through to super charge and personalize your learning experience. You can carry the book around with you and go back over chapters to refresh your memory at any point in the future without having to search the web for the exact piece of information you were looking for.
Every photographer, whether they are a professional or an amateur, just starting out or well established, should have a good personal library of photography books that cover a wide range of topics and specialties. I live a few blocks from the Barnes and Noble in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. I love to hang out as much as I can in the art section and read about photography and paintings!
Top 5 Photography Books to Get You Started.
The following are some of my favorite books on photography. I have tried to recommend books that cover different aspects of photography.
The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos, by Michael Freeman.
This is a beautifully put together book with a lot of color illustrations to help you understand the inner complexities of design, composition and the techniques of arranging subjects and points of interest in your own photography.
Michael Freeman, who wrote The Photographer’s Eye, is a famous internationally renowned figure in the industry who has specialized in travel and architectural photography during his illustrious career. Michael Freeman has worked for some of the most prestigious publications of our times including the Reader’s Digest, Time-Life Books and the Smithsonian magazine. During his career he has written over 40 books on photography and gained popular acclaim for his succinct style of explaining difficult concepts to audiences of all abilities, knowledge and interests. His educational qualifications have been recognized by the French Ministry of Culture who awarded him the rare Prix Louis Phillippe Clerc for his contributions to teaching photography and he went on to help set up the photography courses for the Open College of the Arts in the United Kingdom.
Composition and design are essential to master in order to take powerful, emotive and bold photographs. Learning to organize your compositions into well created pieces of artwork is essential to improve your photography right from the start because these good habits will become ingrained in your style of taking pictures. Michael Freeman has covered every aspect of these crucial subjects and shows how digital photography can be used to great effect.
Michael Freeman’s The Photographer’s Eye is a fantastic entrance into the exciting world of digital photography and the perfect companion for beginners and more experienced photographers alike.
Advancing your Photography : Secrets to Amazing Photos from the Masters, by Marc Silber.
With a stunning career under his belt and appearances on the Beginner Photography Podcast, Marc Silber has gleamed expert tips and hints from some of the world’s greatest living photographers and compiled them into this excellent book. Specifically designed for beginners, the book runs through everything you need to know to start taking outstanding pictures in any genre of photography.
This fantastic handbook is easy to follow and understand and will have you gripped as you learn quickly and effectively in an easy to remember way. The book includes great tips from professional photographers, numerous step-by-step guides and the secrets to learning to train your eye to create superb compositions. Silber also covers the central methods of processing your own images to a high quality professional standard.
Authentic Portraits : Searching for Soul, Significance and Depth, by Chris Orwig.
Taking a really good portrait photo is not as easy as you might at first think but with some guidance and practise you can achieve the outstanding results you want. In this book of more than 400 pages, Chris Orwig covers the whole waterfront on what you need to know to take genuine portraits that really capture the essence of your subject.
Chris Orwig has written 6 books in the field of photography as well as having created 5,000 hours of online tutorials and classes. Chris is a regular public speaker and has lectured on the subjects of creativity and photography for companies such as Facebook, Google, Adobe as well as having spoken on the Tedx platform.
Chris’ book, Authentic Portraits : Searching for Soul, Significance and Depth, is a well written, simply composed and highly educational book that is packed full of tips, hints and advice on how to take superb portrait photos. A powerful portrait will manage to get beneath the surface of the subject and bring out their inner essence.
It’s a tricky art form to master but with the help of Chris Orwig’s book on portraiture you’ll soon be well on your way to taking powerful portraits. As well as teaching you about portraiture this fascinating book also covers areas such as becoming your best self and how to express yourself through your creativity while capturing the depth of character in your subjects. A must have for any beginner or working freelance portrait photographer.
Picture Perfect Practice: A Self-Training Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Taking World-Class Photographs by Roberto Valenzuela.
Learning to take a stunning and simple photo in the hectic world around you can be a difficult skill to get the hang of but with this superb book by Roberto Valenzuela you will be well on your way to becoming the type of photographer you want to be. This book will give you all the information that you need and the tips, techniques and methods to learn how to take photos in any light conditions both in your studio and, more importantly, out in the real world.
As a best selling author Valenzuela, who is based in Beverly Hills, California, has been awarded a place on the Canon Explorers of Light program and travelled all over the world pursuing the perfect pictures. His broad experience and excellent training methods are easy to use and highly transferable to your own particular style of photography.
Valenzuela advises that beginner photographers get into the habit of practicing each and every day in different settings and light conditions to achieve the best results. Picture Perfect Practice is a fantastic all round book that will both inspire you and set you up to be the very best photographer you can be.
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera, by Bryan Peterson.
Getting to grips with using exposure to create the perfect photos can be one of the hardest techniques to learn in the early days of your photography career but with this extremely helpful book by Bryan Peterson you will learn all about the basics of light, aperture and shutter speed, as well as learning how they interact with one another so you can make the best use of these factors in your work. Gaining a better understanding of exposure will allow you to use sharpness and contrast within your photography to better effect while also learning how to use the flash and various filters to achieve unique results.
Bryan Peterson is a highly acclaimed photographer in his own right and the founder of The Perfect Picture School of Photography. He has written a number of best selling books and uses an easy to understand writing style that is clear and to the point. As a commercial photographer he has worked with many of the Fortune 500 companies and has won numerous awards, including the much lauded New York Director’s Gold Award.
This highly educational book is easy to follow even while exploring some quite complicated areas of more advanced photography techniques. This newly revised print of the best selling book by the veteran photographer has become an instant classic and should be studied by all beginners.
Photography Books for Beginners are a Valuable Resource.
Selecting a good range of educational and inspirational photography books when you are starting out on your journey is an essential step towards developing your skills and learning the techniques you need to know in order to produce the pictures you envisage. There are many advantages of owning a small library of high quality photography manuals, handbooks and study books. You can always refer back to your collection of books at any time and can also carry them with you while you are out practicing your photography.
As a beginner it’s especially important for you to begin to master the art of photography which will include using your camera to its highest capacities. Learning to use exposure techniques, the aperture and shutter speed to reliably create your professional level photography in any genre is a major step forward on your way to becoming a better all round photographer.
Photography is an exciting field to get involved with and once you begin to learn the basics your appetite will be wetted and your passion will be ignited with the new knowledge.
Which is your favorite book on photography?
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